Amazon Peacock Bass Safari
Pre-Trip Information

$3,850 / week

Included

Ground transportation, air charter from Manaus to camp/yacht and return, boats and guides (2 x 1 guiding), accommodations, meals, Brazilian wine, beer, liquor, soft drinks, hotel in Manaus.

Not included

Commercial air travel to Manaus, Brazilian visa, tackle, lures, personal items, tips, meals in Manaus and hotel nights in the U.S. if applicable.

Travel Documents

A valid passport and visa are required to enter Brazil. Your passport must be valid for 6 months after the date of travel and travel must commence within 90 days of receiving your visa from the Brazilian Consulate. We will provide you with a visa application from Zierer Visa Service in San Francisco — they do a superb job and the process is very secure and expeditious. We will be happy to assist you.

You will also be filling out a “tourist card” while on the Miami/Manaus flight prior to landing in Brazil. Be sure TO KEEP your stamped copy of this tourist card after proceeding through customs — customs officials can hassle or even fine you if you don’t have the receipt when exiting the country. A departure tax of approximately $36.00 is assessed at the time of departure from Manaus.

Manaus

Manaus was founded in 1669 by the Portuguese as a small fishermens village. Its name is of Indian origin and its literal translation is “Mother of God.” Situated just 3 degrees below the equator and over 1000 miles inland, it is one of the busiest ports where cargo ships distribute their goods throughout the Amazon basin. With the discovery of rubber trees in the area in the 1850’s, Manaus flourished for a period of about 20 years, from 1890-1910, and was known as the “Paris of the Jungle.” During this time, wealthy plantation owners flocked to Manaus and a belle epoque splendor prevailed as evidenced by their ornate Opera House, which was built in 1892 with distinct European influence, both in style and materials. Today Manaus is a duty-free zone and center for ecotourism in the Amazon.

Travel Logistics (Subject to Change)

In case of schedule changes on the Miami/Manaus flights, the following information is very general:

We will stay in communication with you regarding specific flight numbers and times. All anglers will travel from Miami to Manaus, Brazil on Thursday at about 6:15 p.m. (after November about 5:15 p.m.) via TAM Brazilian Airlines, arriving in Manaus about 12:20 a.m. After clearing customs, you will be met by our representative and transferred to the Tropical Hotel for a short rest and breakfast prior to your charter flight to the camp/yacht. The charters will normally depart between 7 a.m. and 12 noon, Friday. On occasion, anglers may overnight in Manaus on Friday and go to camp on Saturday. This is our call, depending on weather and other factors. Once in camp, you will settle in, arrange your tackle and begin your first day of fishing. You then fish through Friday. You will charter back to Manaus Friday (and overnight) or early Saturday morning and transfer to the international airport, departing for Miami about 11:50 a.m., arriving in Miami about 4:00 p.m. Saturday. Applicable Manaus hotel rooms are included in the price.

Rod and Gun Resources will arrange the Miami/Manaus round-trip portion of your air travel — your tickets will be sent via Federal Express to you around ten days prior to your trip. We STRONGLY suggest you check your luggage from your home city to Miami, claim it there, and re-check it on to Manaus.

Special (off the regular schedule) charters are available at an additional cost of $3000-$4000, depending on the fishing area. Special charters are to be arranged and paid for prior to departing the U.S.

Keep in mind you are traveling to the Amazon rainforest, (the world’s largest wilderness) and, as in all outdoor trips, your fishing and travel logistics depend somewhat on the weather ), bush runway, and river conditions. Your outfitter will do everything possible within safety parameters to get you to your flights on time, but Rod & Gun Resources and River Plate Anglers will not be responsible for any extra expenses incurred from commercial or charter flight delays, cancellations, missed connections, etc. due to weather, mechanical problems or any other factors. Accordingly, for your air travel we suggest you purchase refundable or change-fee type tickets and avoid non-refundable tickets.

Baggage Requirements

There is a strictly-enforced 44-pound weight restriction for the float plane flight (including rods/reels, lures and any hand-carried items). The camp has daily laundry service, so lots of clothes are not necessary.

Camp/Yacht Accommodations

The deluxe safari camp accommodations feature a spacious screen house lodge with separate dining and lounge areas. Pairs of anglers sleep in 10’x 15’ air-conditioned bungalows, each with separate portable toilet and sink area, oversized camp beds, table, chairs, fans and lights. Guests enjoy evening cocktails while watching sunsets over the river’s white sand beaches.

River Plate’s also has a new wide beam, shallow draft yacht--The BW Explorer. The yacht is 74 ft. long, fully air conditioned and features ten staterooms, each with private bath.

The camp/yacht provides factory bottled water.

110-volt electricity is available for charging camcorder batteries.

You will travel from the safari camp/yacht to nearby lagoons and river tributaries via 20-foot specially designed shallow-running aluminum boats equipped with outboards, trolling motors, and comfortable swivel seats. The guides are good boat handlers, very polite and understand fishing English. Bilingual cards will be sent to you prior to your departure to aid in communication.

Weather

Mid-day temperatures in the Amazon range from 85º-95ºF. Generally there is some wind and intense sun during the day, so please be mindful of dehydration and overexposure to the sun. The camp manager will stock your boat’s cooler with your preference of drinks and water. Make sure to use sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat and perhaps long sleeves/pants. At night the temperature drops to 65º-75ºF. Although you will be fishing in the dry season, there are occasional rain showers (you are in the rain forest).

Food & Beverage

A breakfast buffet is typically served at 6:00 a.m. Pancakes, eggs, toast, fresh fruit, sausage, cereal and fresh coffee are all standard fare. Lunch is typically fixed (box-style) by each angler in the morning before fishing. We encourage everyone to stay on the river the entire day to maximize fishing results. Appetizers are usually on the table as soon as all anglers return from the day’s fishing. Dinner is served around 7:00 p.m. The dinner service features steaks, chicken, fresh fish and many local specialties. The camp supplies soft drinks, local liquor, beer (limited for safety reasons to four per person during the fishing day) and wine with meals.

Currency

Most Latin American currencies fluctuate like the weather, so it’s pointless to even approximate exchange rates. Even the names of the currencies change every so often! Brazil’s hotels and shops readily accept U.S. dollars, so there is really no need to exchange money.

Language

Brazil is the only Latin American country where Portuguese is spoken as the native language. Grammatically, Portuguese is quite similar to Spanish, but the spoken language/word pronunciation is very distinct. Most individuals fluent in Spanish can converse fairly well with a Brazilian native. The camp has a full-time bilingual host.

Health/Insects

The rivers we fish have a high tannin concentration due to the forest’s leaf decay, and do not encourage the growth of insect eggs and larvae, but some bugs are occasionally encountered, mainly no-see-ums (gnats) which can be irritating, along with the occasional bee, mosquito or wasp.

We suggest you contact your doctor regarding inoculations recommended for travelers to the Amazon, or log on to the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) website at www.cdc.gov/travel. Also, antibiotics and antiseptic medicines such as Neosporin are always a good idea to avoid infections from cuts and scrapes.

Gratuities

For the guides and staff, we suggest a tip of $300.00 per fisherman at the end of the week ($150.00 for the camp staff to be given to the camp host and $150.00 to be given directly to your guide — U.S. dollars accepted).

About Peacock Bass

Peacock Bass (Chichla sp.) is a generalized name for the large bass-like gamefish native to tropical South America. They are actually a subspecies of the family Cichlidae. Cichlids are a diverse family of tropical fishes found throughout Africa and South America, some of which are popular for aquariums. Although there are countless color variations throughout their range, there are only three recognized species of peacock bass — two are found in Brazil. All species are commonly called tucunare in Brazil and Peru, while other Spanish speaking countries use the termpavon. The peacock tucanare (Cichla temensis), better known as azul or paca is the largest of the three species, with an average weight of six or seven pounds. Ten to fifteen pound peacock bass are very common, and twenty+ pounders are hooked each week. This fish has a unmistakable mottled black patch directly behind its eye. Body coloration and markings vary greatly. Three vertical black bars are usually visible. Often, horizontal white spots are present.

The butterfly tucanare (Chichla ocellaris) is the smallest of the peacock bass and most numerous species in Brazil and the Amazon basin. This fish has three different color phases, but the butterfly primarily seen has three black, oscillated spots (about the size of a half dollar) running along its lateral line. Although peacock bass are the main attraction in Brazil and in the Amazon, there are many other jungle species that are no less impressive — both in beauty and fighting ability. Depending on location pacu, pirapitinga, jacunda, apapa, tambaqui, pirarucu, bicuda, picua, piranha, aruana and pescada can be taken.

Catch and Release

To insure the best fishing possible, a strict catch and release policy is in effect. Throughout the week, the camp manager may ask you to bring back some smaller fish for dinner. Only at this time should fish be kept.

Peacock Habits and Angling Hints

• Like largemouth bass, peacock bass often prefer “structure” of some sort. Rocks, fallen logs, points and sand bars are hiding places for baitfish, so this is where the peacocks will usually be lurking. Of course, you should always heed the guide’s recommendations on where to cast.
  
• Peacock bass usually roam about in small schools searching for baitfish, often bursting into a feeding frenzy. When this situation is encountered, get your lure or fly in front of the feeding fish as soon as possible. The sooner you can cast to them after they’ve been spotted, the better your chance of a hookup. Peacock bass are greedy and highly competitive schooling fish. Always cast a free lure or fly right next to any hooked fish. Another peacock bass will almost always be close by (attracted by the commotion). If no strikes result, fish the surrounding area thoroughly.
  
• Novice peacock anglers tend to set the hook too fast when fishing topwater lures or flies. Often peacock bass will just slap at the lure to stun it, then come back around and firmly grab it on the second pass. It’s hard to remember at first, but don’t set the hook on the strike. If you can’t see the plug or fly after about three seconds, drop your rod tip and set the hook as hard as you can. Big peacock bass have very tough skin around their mouths and tend to grip the plug or fly firmly.
  
• If the fish doesn’t take the lure on the first strike, keep it moving. If you are patient, the fish will usually come up and hit the lure a second or third time. If he loses interest, quickly cast a diving (subsurface) lure or fly. This often elicits another strike.
  
• Never try and “horse” a big peacock bass, and don’t underestimate his power. If a big fish is headed for structure, apply side pressure to the rod trying to ‘steer’ the fish in another direction. If you crank your drag down too tight, they’ll almost always snap the line, or pull off. If a fish does make it into cover, don’t give up. Give a little slack and wait for the boat to spook the fish out of its hiding place — they’ll often untangle themselves. When a fish comes to the boat, never assume it’s ready to give up. Always keep a high rod tip and a loose drag to absorb last minute runs.
  
• Lure or fly color doesn’t seem as important as lure shade. If it is bright out, use a light-colored lure/fly. Dark shades are more productive in low light conditions.

Spinning or Baitcasting Tackle

Take medium to medium-heavy largemouth bass tackle with long-handled 6- to 6-1/2-foot travel rods that will fit inside your luggage (some airlines no longer take long rod tubes), and good-quality reels of at least 100 yards capacity with high-speed retrieve ratios. Use rods with a firm-action tip to allow for accurate casting of heavy lures. Bring at least two rods and two reels, in case of breakage. For lines, we suggest “T&C Tufline” or “Spectra” in 65 to 80 pound or similar braided line. If you prefer monofilament, we suggest “P” line 50 pound. Steel leaders are not required while fishing for peacocks.

Spinning or Baitcasting Lures

Name	Size	Color
Luhr-Jensen Big-Game Woodchopper™	6 3/4"	Fire Tiger, Rocky Clown, Red Head
Luhr-Jensen Peacock Special™	5”	Same colors
HighRoller RipRoller™	6 1/2” or 5 1/2”	Black and Orange, Fire Tiger, Halloween, Perch, Red Head
HighRoller Magnum RipRoller™	7 1/2”	same colors
HighRoller Hign Roller™	6 1/2”	same colors
Heddon Super Zara Spook™	1/2 to 7/8 oz.	silver mullet, gold sardine, redfish

Diving minnows—a mixture of around 6 total

Bomber “Magnum Shallow Runner,” Bomber “Jointed Shallow Runner,” Cordell Redfin C10

5-1/2 to 7 inches long in fish colors, such as combinations of chrome, blue, black, orange, and chartreuse.

Jigs—a mixture of around 6 total

Spro brand or similar jigs in 1/2 oz. to 5/8 oz.—bucktail or feathered, with white or yellow underbelly. Flies such as listed below with 1/4 to 1/2 oz. worm weights also work well as jigs.

Fly Fishing Tackle

The aggressive jungle species are well suited to fly fishing. Two 9- or 10-weight rods are recommended. Reels should have a smooth drag, hold at least 100 yards of backing, and be spooled with a weight-forward, bass-taper floating line. Use 40 to 50 pound monofilament for leader/tippet material.

Flies - 24

Whistlers 3/0 chartreuse/white, yellow/white, orange/white, red/white

Black Water Angel 3/0 chartreuse/white, yellow/white, orange/white, red/white

Rainbow Bucktail Deceivers 3/0 chartreuse/white, yellow/white, orange/white, red/white

Mini Teaser Popper 3/0 blue/white, chartreuse

Worm Weights 1/32-oz. 1 dozen

NOTE: The above flies, lures, rods and reels can be ordered from:
    Custom Rod&Fly Co.
    (830) 257-3611
    jwdawn@ktc.com

Call or e-mail for orders and/or current pricing. Please order well in advance of your departure. Spinning and baitcasting tackle and lures can also be ordered from Fishin’ World, Dallas, TX (214) 358-4941.

Good quality baitcasting rods and reels are available for rent at the camp. The package price of $60 per fisherman per week, for two rods and reels must be paid upon arrival at camp.

A good reference book is Peacock Bass Addictions, by Larry Larsen. Purchase by calling (863) 644-3381 or e-mail Larry Larsen at: larry@larsenoutdoors.com.

Our recommendation for the very best fish mounts: Ron Kelly, Artistic Wildlife Gallery, 5138 Highway 69 South, Greenville, Texas 75402 (903) 883-3855.

Equipment

• Extra Line
• Scale (if you are trying for a world record, you should bring a certified scale)
• Tape Measure
• Hook Sharpener
• Replacement hooks and o-rings
• Fishing pliers, pocket knife, clippers
• Reel lubricant
• Lure box
• Rod case
• Polarized sunglasses
• 6"- 8"steel leaders (for piranha)
• 40-50 lb. leader material (fly-fishermen)
• Optional stripping basket (fly-fishermen)
• Optional stripping finger sock (fly-fishermen) or adhesive tape

Clothing & Personal Items

• Passport and xerox of photo page
• Airline tickets
• Personal medications
• Long-sleeved tropical shirts
• Tropical-weight pants
• Swimsuit or shorts
• Sneakers or deck shoes
• Casual travel clothes
• Fishing hat
• Quality lightweight raincoat/pants
• Lightweight cotton gloves
• Sunscreen
• Chapstick
• Water resistant bug repellent w/ DEET
• Small flashlight
• Camera&batteries
• Spare film
• Waterproof pack or gear bag
• Cash for tipping

Please Note

For aircraft safety purposes, please pack in medium-size soft duffel bags. The weight in the Cessna Caravan float plane must be distributed by putting as many bags as possible into the float compartments of the plane. There is a strictly enforced 44 lb. weight restriction on luggage for the float plane.

HELPFUL HINTS

Get to the airport plenty early on your day of departure. You will have spent a lot of money on the trip, so start off on the right foot. Carry some bills in small denominations for tips, airport meters, snacks, etc.

Check the expiration date on your passport. Some countries require that the passport is valid for as much as one year from your date of entry. And, as mentioned earlier, take a photocopy of the photo page of the passport, in case you lose the original. The copy will greatly facilitate the process of securing a new one.

Plan for rain. Always take a raincoat and always take it with you on each outing. It’s amazing how many wet anglers have a nice dry raincoat in their guestroom at the camp. If it doesn’t rain, they make an excellent outer shell for cool mornings.

Pack sensibly. Use soft-sided luggage and take only as much clothing as you will need. Always take your passport, airline tickets, medications, camera equipment and valuables in a carry-on such as a backpack or small valise.

Bandannas are a good idea for protecting your neck against the sun, and they work well as an emergency headcover if you misplace your hat and need to protect your slightly balding head.

Bring two pairs of sunglasses.